Purpose: To investigate the suitability of the visual field index (VFI) in different degrees of disease severity in glaucoma patients.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we consecutively enrolled patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and glaucoma suspects (ocular hypertension). All eyes required a reliable standard automated perimetry (SAP) test to be included. Subjects were categorized into five groups based on glaucoma severity using SAP’s mean deviation (MD). To evaluate the correlation among VFI, MD and pattern standard deviation (PSD), a linear regression model was built. To evaluate the nature of the correlation (i.e. linear vs nonlinear), results were plotted in a scatterplot graph.Results: One hundred and twenty-two eyes of 81 patients (mean age, 59.8 ± 14.5 years) were included. A strong, positive association was found between MD and VFI values (R2 = 0.98, p < 0.001), showing a 3.2% reduction in the VFI for each dB loss in the MD index. It was noticed that 15% of eyes with mild glaucoma (average MD of -3.1 dB) had VFI > 99%. Considering only the eyes with mild and moderate damage in the regression, we found a weaker (nonlinear) correlation than the one we found using all eyes (R2 = 0.85, p < 0.001). There was also a significant, nonlinear correlation between VFI and PSD (R2 = 0.85, p < 0.001). Although higher PSD values were found with increasing visual field damage, this initial trend was reversed when VFI became smaller than 50%, approximately.Conclusion: Visual field index had a strong correlation with MD; however, this correlation was weaker in mild disease, as some patients with early disease had very high VFI values (ceiling effect). Therefore, initial deterioration in visual field status (as assessed by MD values) in patients with early disease may not be detectable using the VFI alone.How to cite this article: Sousa MCC, Biteli LG, Dorairaj S, Maslin JS, Leite M, Prata TS. Suitability of the Visual Field Index according to Glaucoma Severity. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2015;9(3):65-68.
Among all glaucoma suspects, eyes with optic nerve head features suspicious or suggestive of early glaucoma are probably those that offer the greatest challenge for clinicians. In contrast with the robust longitudinal data published on ocular hypertension, there is no specific management guideline for these patients. Therefore, evaluating eyes with suspicious optic disc appearance and normal intraocular pressure (IOP), we sought to investigate potential differences in clinical and epidemiological characteristics to differentiate those with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) from those with presumed large physiological optic disc cups (pLPC). In this observational case-control study, we consecutively enrolled individuals with pLPC and NTG. All eyes had vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR)≥0.6 and untreated IOP<21 mmHg. Glaucomatous eyes had reproducible visual field defects. Eyes with pLPC required normal visual fields and ≥30 months of follow-up with no evidence of glaucomatous neuropathy. Clinical and epidemiological parameters were compared between groups. Eighty-four individuals with pLPC and 40 NTG patients were included. Regarding our main results, NTG patients were significantly older and with a higher prevalence of Japanese descendants (p<0.01). Not only did pLPC eyes have smaller mean VCDR, but also larger optic discs (p≤0.04). There were no significant differences for gender, central corneal thickness, and spherical equivalent (p≥0.38). Significant odds ratios (OR) were found for race (OR = 2.42; for Japanese ancestry), age (OR = 1.05), VCDR (OR = 5.03), and disc size (OR = 0.04; p≤0.04). In conclusion, in patients with suspicious optic disc and normal IOP, those with older age, Japanese ancestry, smaller optic discs, and larger VCDR are more likely to have NTG, and therefore, deserve deeper investigation and closer monitoring.
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